Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento
Encyclopedia
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento
is a cathedral
of the Roman Catholic Church
in the United States
. It is the mother church
and seat of Jaime Soto
, the ordinary
bishop
of the Diocese of Sacramento
. The Cathedral is located downtown
at the intersection of 11th and K Streets.
Currently, the cathedral is considered both a religious and civic landmark. It is the mother church of the diocese, which stretches from the southern edge of Sacramento County north to the Oregon
border and serves about 900,000 Catholics. The diocese encompasses 99 churches in a 42,000 square mile region
. The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is the largest historic cathedral west of the Mississippi River
.
era in the United States
. With a recent restoration project that loops together the Catholic culture, the legacy of gold miners, visions of a vibrant downtown and the sentiments of Sacramentans who spent some of life’s most memorable moments within the church’s walls. The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament combines Sacramento’s history with its modern day life.
Among the first of thousands to seek his fortune in the Sacramento region during the California Gold Rush, Patrick Manogue
had aspirations that differed from many of his fellow fortune seekers. His goal was to earn enough money to finance a trip to Paris
, where he planned to enroll in seminary college and become a Roman Catholic priest
.
While studying in Paris in 1860, Manogue became enchanted by the cathedrals and their role in a city’s community life. In 1886, Manogue was appointed as Sacramento’s first bishop. Inspired by churches he’d seen in European plazas, Manogue worked to secure property just one block away from the capitol building, with a dream of building a cathedral in Sacramento. Manogue modeled the cathedral after L'Eglise de la Sainte-Trinite (The Church of the Holy Trinity) in Paris. Once completed, there was no cathedral equal in size west of the Mississippi River
. The building is a modified basilica
form approximately 200 feet (61 m) long and 100 feet (30.5 m) wide, and it seats 1400 people. The central bell tower rises 215 feet (65.5 m).
on the exterior and Victorian
on the interior. The church has been updated for modern use, but designers tried to keep the church in the original style. Over the years, with repairs, changes in color schemes and changes to the liturgy, the Church lost its stylistic unity.
From August 2003 - November 2005, the Cathedral was closed and extensively remodeled to unify the church’s décor from the numerous renovations throughout the years. In this renovation, there are significant additions, including a Eucharistic chapel, two sides chapels, and a 2,000-pound crucifix hanging over the altar supported by airplane cables. But the largest change is the re-opening of the dome, which was closed in the 1930s for acoustic reasons. The Eucharistic chapel (or Blessed Sacrament
Chapel) pays an architectural homage to the chancel screens of medieval churches. It allows for the tabernacle
to remain in plain view of the congregation and be in line with the High Altar while also allowing for a private devotional space outside of the celebration of the Mass. The words of the Eucharistic hymn Pange Lingua Gloriosi are inscribed in gold lettering on the screen.
Every part of the cathedral was updated in the restoration ranging from expanded pews to better lighting with decorative painting on the interior walls and ceiling. The massive stained glass windows in the building were cleaned and releaded. The church includes a new bishop’s cathedra
(episcopal chair) and ambo of mahogany.
Above the altar
hangs a 13 feet (4 m) crucifix
with a crown overhead that is 14 feet (4.3 m) in diameter. Combined they weigh almost 2,000 pounds and are held in place with aircraft cables.
The interior dome of the cathedral, which stands 110 feet (33.5 m) high, was rebuilt, some 70 years after the original one was blocked from view. The dove in the oculus
, with a wingspan of seven feet, is “a dramatic reminder of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the life of the church, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist,” according to Father James Murphy who was the Rector
of the cathedral during its renovation. Sixteen large rondels
, each five feet in diameter, decorate the new dome, portraying Eucharistic scenes from Scripture.
An octagon-shaped marble baptismal font
with a decorative mosaic
is at the entrance to the cathedral. Two side chapels — the Martyrs Chapel and the Chapel of Our Lady
and Saints of the Americas — provide a space for private devotion to the saints. Two 20 feet (6.1 m) high murals, painted by artists from EverGreene Painting Studios in New York
, adorn the chapels.
The large, weight-bearing, columns of the cathedral were hollowed out, and workers installed 320 tons of steel to reinforce the masonry of the cathedral walls. With the steel, a powerful epoxy was used to bond parts of the building together to enable the building to withstand an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter Scale.
The restoration is the largest financial project the diocese has ever undertaken, with the $34 million cost coming from various sources. The diocese’s 2002 capital campaign provided $10 million and another $10 came from diocesan investments. An additional $2 million was raised by cathedral parishioners. Diocesan officials are now conducting a campaign for the remaining $12 million (January 2005 estimate).
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
is a cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the mother church
Mother Church
In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...
and seat of Jaime Soto
Jaime Soto
Jaime Soto, D.D. is an American prelate who currently serves as Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento.-Early life and education:...
, the ordinary
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
of the Diocese of Sacramento
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento is an ecclesiastical territory or particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States...
. The Cathedral is located downtown
Downtown Sacramento
Downtown Sacramento is the central business district of the City of Sacramento. Downtown is generally defined as the area south of the American River, east of the Sacramento River, north of Broadway, and west of 16th Street. The central business district is generally defined as north of R Street,...
at the intersection of 11th and K Streets.
Currently, the cathedral is considered both a religious and civic landmark. It is the mother church of the diocese, which stretches from the southern edge of Sacramento County north to the Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
border and serves about 900,000 Catholics. The diocese encompasses 99 churches in a 42,000 square mile region
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
. The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is the largest historic cathedral west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
History
With construction beginning in 1887, Sacramento’s Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is an example of the strength and history in Sacramento’s architecture. Since many of the buildings date back to the mid-19th century, Sacramento is home to the largest concentration of buildings dating back to the California Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
era in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. With a recent restoration project that loops together the Catholic culture, the legacy of gold miners, visions of a vibrant downtown and the sentiments of Sacramentans who spent some of life’s most memorable moments within the church’s walls. The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament combines Sacramento’s history with its modern day life.
Among the first of thousands to seek his fortune in the Sacramento region during the California Gold Rush, Patrick Manogue
Patrick Manogue
Patrick Manogue was a miner '49er, pioneer priest and the founding Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, California.-Early life:...
had aspirations that differed from many of his fellow fortune seekers. His goal was to earn enough money to finance a trip to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he planned to enroll in seminary college and become a Roman Catholic priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
.
While studying in Paris in 1860, Manogue became enchanted by the cathedrals and their role in a city’s community life. In 1886, Manogue was appointed as Sacramento’s first bishop. Inspired by churches he’d seen in European plazas, Manogue worked to secure property just one block away from the capitol building, with a dream of building a cathedral in Sacramento. Manogue modeled the cathedral after L'Eglise de la Sainte-Trinite (The Church of the Holy Trinity) in Paris. Once completed, there was no cathedral equal in size west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The building is a modified basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
form approximately 200 feet (61 m) long and 100 feet (30.5 m) wide, and it seats 1400 people. The central bell tower rises 215 feet (65.5 m).
Recent Renovation
The architectural style of the church is Italian RenaissanceItalian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
on the exterior and Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
on the interior. The church has been updated for modern use, but designers tried to keep the church in the original style. Over the years, with repairs, changes in color schemes and changes to the liturgy, the Church lost its stylistic unity.
From August 2003 - November 2005, the Cathedral was closed and extensively remodeled to unify the church’s décor from the numerous renovations throughout the years. In this renovation, there are significant additions, including a Eucharistic chapel, two sides chapels, and a 2,000-pound crucifix hanging over the altar supported by airplane cables. But the largest change is the re-opening of the dome, which was closed in the 1930s for acoustic reasons. The Eucharistic chapel (or Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
Chapel) pays an architectural homage to the chancel screens of medieval churches. It allows for the tabernacle
Church tabernacle
A tabernacle is the fixed, locked box in which, in some Christian churches, the Eucharist is "reserved" . A less obvious container, set into the wall, is called an aumbry....
to remain in plain view of the congregation and be in line with the High Altar while also allowing for a private devotional space outside of the celebration of the Mass. The words of the Eucharistic hymn Pange Lingua Gloriosi are inscribed in gold lettering on the screen.
Every part of the cathedral was updated in the restoration ranging from expanded pews to better lighting with decorative painting on the interior walls and ceiling. The massive stained glass windows in the building were cleaned and releaded. The church includes a new bishop’s cathedra
Cathedra
A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...
(episcopal chair) and ambo of mahogany.
Above the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
hangs a 13 feet (4 m) crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
with a crown overhead that is 14 feet (4.3 m) in diameter. Combined they weigh almost 2,000 pounds and are held in place with aircraft cables.
The interior dome of the cathedral, which stands 110 feet (33.5 m) high, was rebuilt, some 70 years after the original one was blocked from view. The dove in the oculus
Oculus
An Oculus, circular window, or rain-hole is a feature of Classical architecture since the 16th century. They are often denoted by their French name, oeil de boeuf, or "bull's-eye". Such circular or oval windows express the presence of a mezzanine on a building's façade without competing for...
, with a wingspan of seven feet, is “a dramatic reminder of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the life of the church, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist,” according to Father James Murphy who was the Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the cathedral during its renovation. Sixteen large rondels
Roundel
A roundel in heraldry is a disc; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...
, each five feet in diameter, decorate the new dome, portraying Eucharistic scenes from Scripture.
An octagon-shaped marble baptismal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
with a decorative mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
is at the entrance to the cathedral. Two side chapels — the Martyrs Chapel and the Chapel of Our Lady
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
and Saints of the Americas — provide a space for private devotion to the saints. Two 20 feet (6.1 m) high murals, painted by artists from EverGreene Painting Studios in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, adorn the chapels.
The large, weight-bearing, columns of the cathedral were hollowed out, and workers installed 320 tons of steel to reinforce the masonry of the cathedral walls. With the steel, a powerful epoxy was used to bond parts of the building together to enable the building to withstand an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter Scale.
The restoration is the largest financial project the diocese has ever undertaken, with the $34 million cost coming from various sources. The diocese’s 2002 capital campaign provided $10 million and another $10 came from diocesan investments. An additional $2 million was raised by cathedral parishioners. Diocesan officials are now conducting a campaign for the remaining $12 million (January 2005 estimate).